Updated 11:48 pm, Thursday, May 9, 2013

Only because the Huskies women's lacrosse team had no history and little direction. It cycled through coaches, and wins were few and far between. As Pippitt reached back-to-back state championship games with New Canaan High, the Huskies struggled in the Big East, amassing a combined 4-28 record from 2008-09 before compiling a respectable 9-8 mark in 2010.

An All-State and All-FCIAC performer at New Canaan, Pippitt committed to former coach Angela McMahon, who spent just three years in Storrs. Her predecessor, Megan Cerosimo, spent just two. The program had instability up top, which almost always trickles down to the players.

"I knew that Angela was trying to build the program and put it on the map," Pippitt said. "Talking to my dad about what school I'd want to go to, I kind of wanted to be a part of a program that's really going to build itself. I wanted to be part of a change."

One of the program's few in-state products, Pippitt has helped the Huskies to their first NCAA tournament appearance. Interestingly enough, UConn, ranked No. 18 nationally, takes on its old coach in Friday's opening round against No. 15 UMass.

Shortly after Pippitt committed, McMahon left to coach the Minutewomen. UConn hired Katie Woods, its third coach in six seasons. And Pippitt, who had other scholarship offers and was "talking to" Penn State, decided to honor her commitment.

It's been three short years, but the Katie Woods era has proved extremely successful. Upon taking the job, Woods implored her team to "take risks," to jump in the passing lane, to shoot from farther out.

"It's really about encouraging the players to take risks and make a lot of mistakes in practice," Woods said. "If you're not taking risks, you're not pushing past where you're at."

In the preseason, this group, which has four All-Big East selections (including Pippitt), knew it had a chance to push past the standard set by previous UConn teams. It just needed that one signature victory.

So in early February, unranked and on the road, UConn converted 13-of-21 shots and took down No. 15 Boston College. Pippitt scored three goals, the second of which put UConn up 7-5 at the break. After BC rallied to take the lead, her final goal gave the Huskies a 10-8 edge they wouldn't relinquish.

By the season's fifth game, they had cracked the national rankings. By season's end, they had compiled a 13-4 record, the best in program history.

"I think with each win, whether it was by a small margin or a large margin, we gained confidence that we can play with anybody," Woods said.

In particular, Pippitt took a major step forward, totaling 30 goals (second on the team) and 25 ground balls (also second).

"There are a lot of times when I'll get on her and stay on her and you can tell she's getting a little frustrated," Woods said. "All of a sudden, she'll do something that we have been asking her to do and you see that huge smile and this light bulb come on like, `Oh, I can do this.'"

In her three years with Woods, Pippitt has grown comfortable with the calculated risks.

"Take those shots from farther out," Pippitt said. "You know, you could trip up the goalie and she won't know you're ready to shoot. If we have a designed play, take a risk and do what's not in it."

The strategy has carried UConn to new heights. It's carried the seniors to a rematch with their old coach, who has a remarkable 53-7 record at UMass, the best mark in NCAA history of any women's lacrosse coach in her first three years at a school.

It's been sheer A-10 dominance for McMahon. As for Pippitt and the Huskies, it's been a slow and steady climb to relevance, each year a little more successful than the past.

"If you go to a team that is building itself and you can be a part of that, it's rewarding," Pippitt said. "It's rewarding to know that you're a part of something special and that you've made a difference."